Wednesday, April 29, 2009

I have been thinking over the last couple of weeks what direction I should take this blog. Hoping for input from those that come across and read the blog. Some ideas include letting past and future visitors to the website and hopefully the Bacon Mansion know what is going on here not just at the mansion but in the neighborhood and Seattle in general.Not sure I really should write about some of my guest interaction experiences. Everything would be anonymous of course, but some of then are really quite amusing. People continue to amaze me. Case in point: What is the deal with people who come into the dining room that has been set for whatever number of guests and maybe one or two spots have already been used or not been set and say 8 or 12 are available. Anyhow, invariably I would say every other day, if not more often, the guests will come in and sit at the unset place setting. I then politely ask them if they would like a place setting, and the look just makes me laugh. It is that they didn't even look to see the difference or they thought they would be less trouble to me by not using all the dishes in a place setting. I have to tell them, no need to apologize because it happens all the time and I just don't get it. This is an example of group action. The specific things that certain people do also amaze me. I usually just share them with staff and my partner.On another note, I have now been in the Bacon Mansion over 16 years and feel like I know a great deal about how this house, specifically it's plumbing work. The reason being is that over the years we have been in quite a few walls and floors adding 4 bathrooms and dealing with various leaks. Had one last week where one of the trunk sewer lines under the butlers pantry through the basement was leaking. Not wanting to tear anything out of the remodeled kitchen, we had to go after it from below and outside. First thought is was a line that was in exterior wall that maybe cracked in the big freeze around Christmas, but really couldn't figure it out until taking part or a wall in the hallway that very few guests have ever seen is it is near the laundry room. Anyhow, we (my Contractor Stephen and I) found the leak and then probably smartly decided to call a plumber who had a special tool to grind out the broken abs pipe out the the joint and put in a new piece, thereby not having to replace the two 45's and T above it. Would have been quite difficult. Got it fixed and the wall back up. Got the initial stucco patch done on the outside wall, just have to go buy some finish stucco. It will be interesting to see how I do with the matching of the stucco, as it is in a part that has really high ridges. Have to pretty much do it my self as you can't reasonably get someone to come out and do an 8" by 20" patch. I tried before when I had a hole to patch under the kitchen window ofter the kitchen remodel in 2006.Let me know your ideas.Look forward to hearing from you.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Bacon Mansion has finally learned today to do something that I never thought I would do. Actually set up this blog to share with future and past guests and other interested parties anything of interest relating to the Bacon Mansion and myself, Daryl King. Who knows, I may actually figure out the Twitter and Facebook thing this year also, but I think I will try and master the blog thing first. Look forward to hearing from people and hope that this site will be a constructive additional to the business.